Car-loading system



March 2a 192e. 1,578,023

R. P. GREENLEAF CAR LOADING SYSTEM March 23 ,1926. 1,578,023

n R. P. GREENLEAF CAR LOADING SYSTEM Filed Jan- 26. 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Mar. 23, 1926.

UNITED STATES ATENT oFFlcE.

ROBERT P. GREENLEAF, F SHAKER HEIGHTS, OHIO, .ASSIGNOB/ TO FRANK BILLINGS,

0F CLEVELAND, OHIO.

GAR-LOADING SYSTEM.

Application filed January 26, 1924. Serial No. 688,678.

To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT P. GREENLEAF, a citizen of the United States, residing at Shaker Heights, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Car-Load ing Systems, of which the following is a full, lear, and exact description.

This invention relates to a car loading system or apparatus and has particular reference to loading mine cars with ore, coal and the like, which is shoveled or otherwise picked up by a loading machine.

`The present invention is an improvement over the system constituting the subject matter of an application filed in the names of Frank Billings and myself on March 1, 1923, Serial No. 621,999.

l/Vith the apparatus disclosed in said application material scooped by a loading machine is deposited in a skip designed to move back and forth over ka series of cars and to dump or deposit the material in any of them, the skip traveling over a flexible trackway A formed on the tops of the cars.

In said application the track is formed by track or rail sections fixed to the cars and by other sections which extend between the cars and connect the fixed sections' together, each connecting section being pivoted to the fixed section on one cary and having sliding engagement with the fixed section of the adjacent car so as to provide a flexible trackway capable of adapting itself to thecurves of the tracks over which the mine cars were adapted to be hauled.

The present invention relates particularly to the form of the trackway for the skip, the trackway in this instance consisting preferably of two continuous rails each formed of a plurality of pivoted sections to give flexibility thereto and both supported on the tops of the cars for endwise sliding movement relative thereto, the rail sections being preferably received in the trough-like rail receiving members secured to the tops of the cars.

The invention may be further briefly summariied as consisting in certain novel details of lconstruction and combinations and arrangements parte which "will be In the accompanying sheet of drawings,

Fig. 1 is a. side elevation of a loading sys-Y i tem involving my invention; Fig. 2 is a top plan View of the saine showingk particularly the cars and the skip trackway supported thereon, and showing how the trackway may adapt itself to curved tracks over which the cars are designed to run; Figz is a top plan view of one of the cars and a portion of the skip trackwa-y; Fig. 4 is a sectional View of the same; Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail sectional view through the top of one side of a car showing the skip rail and the trough of the car which receives it; Figs. 6 and are respectively a top plan anda side view of one of the skip rail sections. i

Referring now to the drawings, 10 represents a portion of a suitable loading machine with which my invention is adapted to be employed. No particular form of loading machine is required, and hence I have only shown conventionally a portion of a machine. Material handled by the loading machine 10 is. adapted to be discharged into a skip 11, which in this instance, when in revceiving position, is directly at the rear of the loading machine on the inclined rails 12 of a so-called power unit 13. It is not essential, however, that the skip and the cars to be filled by the skip be located directly behind the loading machine. for if space permits they may be to one side of the loading ma.- chine, but the arrangement illustrated will generally be employed when the system is used in amine, in which event the loading machine 10, the power unit 13, and the mine cars will generally be positioned on the same track. a

The skip is designed tobe dumped into a series of cars 14, which may be conventional mine cars dumped or discharged in any of the approved ways.

The skip is designed to travel back and forth over a flexible trackway 15 supported on the tops of the cars 14 and will preferably be moved back and forth by cables adapted to be, wound onto and 'unwound fromsultable drums of the power unit 13@ As the present invention resides simply in the skip trackway the details of the mechanism for actuating the skip are not illustrated, but it will be understood that such details may be similar to those which are fully illustrated in said prior application.

The skip trackway l5 is composed of t-wo continuous rails which form a continuation of theinclined rails 12 of the power unit 13, and are preferably pinned to the rear ends thereof at 12a during the loading operation, but are adapted to be disconnected therefrom, so that the mine cars and the trackway 15 supported on them may be moved away for dumping purposes. rlhe length of the trackway 15 will depend upon the number of cars 14. to be loaded, and while only two cars are herein illustrated, it will be understood that the number of cars in the train or series may be a great deal more than the two shown, in which event the skip trackway will be correspondingly lengthened.

It will be observed that each rail of the skip trackway 15 is composed ot a large number of articulated sections 15", pivoted together or articulated for relative horizontal swinging movement but not for vertical movement, the sections 15'rl having overlapping end portions connected together by vertical pins 15b. V

rIhe rails of the skip trackway have no fixed connection with the cars, but on the other hand, they are slidingly supported thereon so that there may be relative endwise movement between each track rail and the associated top edge of the car. rihe articulated sections of the rails and the endwise relative sliding movement between the rails and the tops of the cars permit the cars to be run around the curves of mine or other tracks, and permit the loading to be done'on a curveif necessary or desired, one track rail then conforming substantially to the curve of the track of smaller radius, and the other conforming substantially to the curve of the larger radius. Likewise, it will be observed, particularly by reference to Fig. 2, that when the cars and skip trackway thus accommodate themselves to the curve of the track on which the cars are run, one rail of the skip trackway is in effect lengthened while the other is in effect shortcned, this eitective shortening and lengthening taking place because of tire relative sliding movement between the rails of the skip trackway and cars.

The rails of the skip trackway may be supported on and slidingly connected with the tops of the cars in diilierent ways, but I prefer to accomplish this by providing at the tops of the cars and along the sides thereof, trough-like members 16 through which the track rails extend, as clearly illustrated in Figs. 3 and 5, the rails being adapted to slide over the bottom portions 16n of the troughs, and the upright sides 16" and 16c of the troughs keeping the tracks at the proper gauge for the skip whose wheels 11l have a rather vide face and are flanged on both sides to take care of the slight irregularity which occurs in the span or gauge when the skip is utilized for filling the mine cars when the later are spotted on a curve.

The inner upright sides ll of the troughs are at their ends tapered or beveled inwardly as shown at 16m to allow the pivoted rail sections to accommodate themselves to the radius of the larger curvature (see Fig. 2), and the outer sides 16 of the troughs are shorter than the inner sides lb, the ends heing removed so as to allow the rail sections to accommodate themselves to thc radius of the .smaller curvature, as also illustrated in Fig. 2. ln this connection it will be noted by reference to lzlig. 6, that each skip rail section 15a is provided near one end with a flat or straight shoulder 15d and at the opposite end is provided with two relatively inclined shoulders 15". These shoulders of adjoining .sections are adapted to abut, and to limit the articulation or swinging movement, the greatest permissible swinging movement having proper relation, of course, to the smallest radius of the track over which the mine cars are adapted to be hauled. By the provision of these shoulders, the possibility of excessive lateral buckling particularly on the inner curve is obviated. TWhen the rail is conforming to the inside curve there is a tendency for the rail sections to buckle sideways, but this action is limited by the shoulders referred to, to an extent such that the links can assume only a rather obtuse angle which will always permit the passage of the skip without liability o't derailment. 5

rl`hus this system, and particularly my improvements in the .skip trackway, meet the problem imposed by the commonly employed curved tracks, not only in transferring a train of cars with the skip trackway thereon around the curves, but also in loading' with the cars loca-ted on a curve, as is frequently necessary in mine work.

lllhile I have shown only the preferred construction, l do not desire to be confined to the precise details or arrangements shown, but aim in my claims to cover all modifications in construction and arrangement which do not involve a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended' claims. Likewise I wish it to be understood that the manner of lilling the skip, whether by an endless belt or by a digging member which swings overhead or laterally, and also the details of the haulage system for the skip are immaterial to my invention. Also it will be understood that the skip may be of any suitable form, it being IGH only essential that it be capable of moving back and forth over the rails so as to convey the material from the point at which it is filled to any of the cars of the train.

Having described my invention, I claim 1. In combination with a loading machine and a series of cars to be loaded, a skip for transferring material from the loading ma- Y chine to the diii'erent cars, and a traclrway for the ski p supported on the cars and composed of sections pivotally connected for relative lateral movement.

2. In combination with a loading machine and a series of cars to be illed, a skip for moving the material from the loading machine to the cars, and a traclrwayfor the skip supported by the cars, capable ot endwise sliding movement thereon.

3. In combination with a loading machine and a series of cars to be loaded, a slip for moving the material from the loading machine to the dilerent cars, and a traekway for the skip composed of sections pivotally connected together and slidingly supported on the cars.

4f. In combination with a loading machine and a series ot cars to be loaded, a skip, anda trackway for the skip comprising two rails, each composed of articulated sections Slidingly supported on the cars.

5. In combination with a loading machine and a. series of cars to be loaded, a skip, and a trackway for the skip supported by the cars, said trackway being laterally liexible and the cars having guides for the tracliway permitting relative endvvise sliding movement between the trackway and cars.

6. In combination with a loading machine and a series of cars to be loaded, a skip, and a traclway for the. skip comprising two continuous rails, each composed of sections pivotally connected together, the rails being supported on the cars for end- Wise sliding movement and the cars having guideways for the rails.

7. In combination with a loading machine and a series of cars to be loaded, a skip, and a. skip traclrway supported by the cars, the upper side portions of the cars having trough-like members receiving the trackway. y

8. In combination with a loading ma.- chine and 'a series of cars to be loaded, a skip, and a skip traclway supported by the cars and composed of laterally flexible rails, the cars having channel members loosely re-` ceiving the rails.

9. In combination with loading machine and a series of cars to be loaded, a skip, and a skip trackway supported by the cars, said traclrway comprising a pair of rails each composed of sections pivotally connected together, and the upper side portions or' the cars having channel members loosely receiving the rails so that end- Wise movement may take place between the rails and the cars.

10.In combination with a loading machine and a series of cars to be loaded, a skip, and a skip trackway supported by the cars, said trackway `comprisinga pair of rails each composed of sections pivotally connected together, and the upper side portions of the cars having channel members loosely receiving the rails so that endwise movement may take place between the rails andthe cars, the side portions of the channel members permitting the lateral iexing of the rails between the cars when the cars are on a curve.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto alhx my signature.

ROBERT P. GREENLEAF. 

